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Illuminated Order of the New Dawn
The Illuminated Order of the New Dawn draw primarily from the Disciples of Solomon, the Architects of Thoth, the Celestial Choir, and odd offshoots of Kali's Daughters and the Seers of Chronos. Disciples of Solomon mages tend to rule the Order, while the Architects of Thoth serve as workers and dignitaries, and the remainder serve as spies, librarians, enforcers and shock-troops. Their stated goal is to keep magic out of the eyes of mortals, while their deeper purpose is to re-ascend the Celestial Ladder and reclaim Atlantis, so that they can rule reality according to their own vision. Within the Illuminati are four sub-groups. The soldiers and assassins are known as the Guardians of the Veil, whose primary purpose is to protect the secrets of magic from unwitting mortals. The architects, craftsmen and functionaries are known as the Silver Ladder, whose primary purpose is to maintain the Order of the New Dawn as a functioning group. The chroniclers, historians and researchers are known as the Mysterium, whose primary purpose is to record and protect the lore and secrets of Atlantis. Finally, the rulers of the Order of the New Dawn are called the Seers of the Throne, and draw almost exclusively from the higher ranks of the Disciples of Solomon. The World According to the Illuminati Ours is a proud and noble tradition, handed down from our ancestors to me, to you, from the very priest-kings of Atlantis itself! Yes, my son, our noble order were the ruling class of Atlantis. We commanded the very Gods themselves! The stars in the sky and the earth at our feet bowed to our every whim. And even when the Betrayal came, and the Diaspora, we were not wholly unprepared. Our architects created the great pyramids. Our viziers advised the Egyptian pharaohs, the Mayan priests, the great Greek conquerors, the Roman caesars. Our scholars drafted the United States Constitution, and designed the great cities of Paris, of Washington, of London. Ours is the power behind every throne. But even all this is just a pale shadow of the power we wielded in Atlantis. But our legacy is still out there, taunting us, calling us forth to reclaim it. And we shall reclaim it. Soon, Atlantis will be reborn, and we shall rule it as we once did, and all the world will share in our glorious bounty. On the Other Orders *Free Council: When you see a child playing with lit matches, you take them away as much for the child's safety as for your own. *Adamantine Arrow: Our dogs have slipped the leash, it seems. A pity. So long as they continue to serve their original purpose, though, they may be permitted to exist. *Old Pact: Peasants and charlatans, all. If not for them the Betrayal would never have happened. Let them stay to their quaint old ways and their backwater hovels; they do not concern us. *Servants of the Void: They are an extraordinarily useful bogey-man to dangle before the Arrow and the Pact. Use them, but do not allow them any power. They are dangerous. On Other Supernatural Beings *Vampires: We have made a suitable arrangement with their power structures, and they with ours. It will serve for now. *Werewolves: Men are superior to animals. Let any that would defy this natural order heed our power. *Changelings: The Fey are Beautiful, majestic beings. Pay their price and you can have anything you want. And I do mean anything. Just never pay the price yourself. *Prometheans: By the Architect, what a mess. If those Free Council children would just take to proper tutelage and learn to perform the Rites of Animation and Binding properly, we wouldn't have to constantly clean up after them. Illuminati Rotes Sleeper Agent (Mind •••• + Death •••• + Fate ••, Covert) Roll: Composure + Subterfuge + Mind (Ritual only) Practice: Veiling This Rote conditions a member of the Order to “go back to Sleep”, behaving in all ways like a normal mortal. They are imperceptible to Mage-sight or any other supernatural or Unseen sense, invoke Disbelief as a mortal, and are otherwise indistinguishable from a normal mortal. During the process, their entire memories may be re-written to create a plausible cover-story. Upon a pre-specified trigger condition, however, their suppressed Awakening and memories reassert themselves, and they may immediately resume their mission. Lullaby of Protection (Mind •••• + Space ••• + Fate •• + Prime ••, Covert) Roll: Resolve + Persuasion + Mind (Ritual only) Practice: Weaving By inserting subliminal messages into mass-media advertising, coins and bills, official documents and the like, the New World Order keep the masses supplicated. This Spell creates a sympathetic resonance between members of the Order, and any sleeper who has been exposed to the magically modified message. So long as that resonance is active, members of the order gain +3 dice to manipulate those mortals with Mind magics, and those mortals receive +3 to their Resistance attributes for the purpose of resisting or subtracting from the dice pools of other magics that would target them. Such mortals also gain +3 to any dice pool rolled to invoke Disbelief. Secrets of The Illuminated Order of the New Dawn The Seers of the Throne Within the Illuminati are higher mysteries known only to the Seers of the Throne. The Seers worship eleven ultra-powerful beings, supposedly Exarchs of Atlantis, who built the Watchtowers and rule the Illuminati as its Ascended Masters. Setting information from Seers of the Throne may be incorporated directly into the game with little to no modification. The Chancellor is the Exarch of Matter, the embodiment of the idea that objects have worth, and that people should obsess and toil over mere objects. Seers of the Throne who follow the Chancellor exert influence over most mortal financial institutions. The Psychopomp is the Exarch of Death; the embodiment of the idea that death should be feared, and the unworthy should be barred from reaching the afterlife. The Prophet is the Exarch of Time; the embodiment of the idea that history is rigid and inevitable, entirely driven by powerful individuals, and that the common man has no effect on the future. The Ruin is the Exarch of Fate; the embodiment of the idea that all things and all civilizations must inevitably fall before their doom. Seers of the Throne who follow the Ruin are responsible for maintaining the SCP project and may be covertly influencing the upper levels of the Aegis Kai Doru. The Raptor is the Exarch of Life; the embodiment of the idea that the world is made of naught but vicious predator-prey cycles, where the harshest interpretations of Darwin are reality and people are ruled by base instinct. Seers of the Throne who follow the Raptor thoroughly control the Cheiron Group, and may send Cheiron Group strike teams when needed. The Nemesis is the Exarch of Spirit; the embodiment of the the idea that humanity should be victimized by the reflections of their worst aspects. Seers of the Throne who follow the Nemesis are the most unsavory and distrusted of the Illuminati, but are invaluable for manipulating or defending against the Servants of the Void. The Eye is the Exarch of Space; the embodiment of the idea that everyone should be being watched, and should be afraid of being watched. Seers of the Throne who follow the Eye typically work with the Guardians of the Veil, and also have political ties and influence with the Invictus Covenant of Vampires. The Unity is the Exarch of Mind; the embodiment of the idea that all people should be bound in conformity. Seers of the Throne who follow the Unity have the most influence over popular culture and the media. The General is the Exarch of Forces; the embodiment of the idea that the idea that people should destroy themselves in pointless conflict. Seers of the Throne who follow the General have political ties and influence to Task Force: Valkyrie, and may call in TFV strike teams with sufficient justification and preparation. The Father is the Exarch of Prime; the embodiment of the idea that spirituality and inspiration should be controlled in dogma. Seers of the Throne who follow the Father can sometimes goad the Malleus Maleficarum1 into striking out at their enemies, but have far less control over their Hunters than they would prefer. They also have tenuous political ties to the Lancea Sancta Covenant of Vampires. The Gate is the Exarch of the Abyss, of whom naught is spoken. Illuminated Order of the New Dawn Merits ooooo Requisition New Dawn members in good standing may access the Mysterium's vaults. They may contact their superiors and roll Savvy + Persuasion + Status (Illuminati). On a success, they may requisition a collection of Resources, Artifacts or Imbued Items with a totaled Merit rating up to five times their Requisition rating. No single requisitioned item may have a rating more than twice their Requisition rating, however. A new roll is required whenever they wish to “trade in” gear, with a maximum cap equal to twice their dots in the Requisition merit. On a failure, or at the end of the chapter, they are required to turn in all requisitioned items and resources. ooooo Sleeper Influence The Illuminati are experts at cultural manipulation. The character may roll Savvy + Persuasion + Status (Illuminati) when arriving in a new area or at the beginning of each chapter. On a success, they may gain a collection of Status, Influence, and Allies with a totaled Merit rating up to five times their Sleeper Influence rating. No single merit may have a rating more than their Requisition rating, however. A new roll is required whenever they wish to “trade in” favors. On a failure, or at the end of the chapter, they are required to relinquish all acquired social power to the Order as a whole. Category:Mage Category:Order Category:Supernatural Society